While volcanism caused a temporary cold period, the effects had already worn off thousands of years before the meteorite, the ultimate cause of the dinosaur extinction event, impacted.
After lockdown, immune system reacts more strongly to viruses and bacteria
New research shows that the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on people's immune response to microorganisms. During the lockdown, inflammation level in the body was low, but afterwards, the immune system reacted more intensely to viruses and bacteria.
Conserving high-elevation grasslands in Peru is key to protect Andean bears
Andean bears carefully select the best foraging locations and plants to maximize nutrition and avoid livestock, according to a new study.
Syphilis had its roots in the Americas
A research team has taken a crucial step towards resolving a long-standing controversy -- was syphilis introduced to Europe from the Americas at the end of the 15th century, or had it been there all along? Ancient pathogen genomes from skeletons that pre-date 1492 confirm its introduction from the Americas,...
Building a backbone: Scientists recreate the body’s ‘GPS system’ in the lab
Scientists have generated human stem cell models which contain notochord -- a tissue in the developing embryo that acts like a navigation system, directing cells where to build the spine and nervous system (the trunk).
New evidence on the relationship between moderate wine consumption and cardiovascular health
Light and moderate consumption of wine is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular complications, according to a multicenter study. The study is based on the analysis of a biomarker of wine intake -- specifically, tartaric acid, present in grapes. It was carried out in 1,232 participants in the PREDIMED...
Using drones, researchers assess the health of humpback whale mother-calf pairs across the Pacific Ocean
Biologists used drone imagery to understand how nursing humpback whale mothers and their calves fare as they cross the Pacific Ocean. Recent declines in North Pacific humpback whale reproduction and survival of calves highlight the need to understand how mother-calf pairs expend energy across their migratory cycle.
How loss of urban trees affects educational outcomes
Economists looked at test scores and school attendance for Chicago-area kids before and after a bug infestation wiped out the city's ash trees. Education outcomes for low-income students went down, highlighting how the impacts of ecosystem degradation are disproportionately felt by disadvantaged communities.
Wildfire surges in East, Southeast US fueled by new trees and shrubs
The eastern U.S. has more trees and shrubs than three decades ago. This growth, driven by processes such as tree and understory infilling in unmanaged forests, is helping fuel wildfires, contributing to changing fire regimes in the eastern half of the country, according to a new study.
The social cost of carbon, a crucial tool for setting climate policy, omits key effects
The social cost of carbon -- an important figure global policymakers use to analyze the benefits of climate and energy policies -- is too low, finds a new study.